They would ask me what actors I saw in the roles. I would tell them, and they’d say “Oh that’s interesting.” And that would be the end of it.
--Elmore Leonard, in 2000, on the extent of his input for Hollywood's adaptation of his novels

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Sofie Kelly's "Curiosity Thrilled the Cat"

Sofie Kelly is an author and mixed-media artist who lives on the east coast with her husband and daughter. In her spare time she practices Wu style tai chi and likes to prowl around thrift stores.

When I start a book, I do have an idea of what the characters look like, but not specific faces. I tend to think in terms of hair like the woman at the bagel place, or a tattoo like my dentist’s, as I imagine the characters.

But it is fun to “cast” a book with help from a couple of my friends, particularly J, who has probably seen every movie ever made. We’ve decided Curiosity Thrilled the Cat should be a TV movie, which leads to a TV series, because one of us grew up wanting to be a TV director. (Okay, that would be me.) So, with a little help from my friends, here’s the cast of Curiosity Thrilled the Cat.

Maura Tierney as Kathleen. Choosing Kathleen was the hardest pick. Tierney doesn’t physically match my vision of the character, but I think she could play Kathleen’s humor, as well as showcase her kindness and her intelligence.

Alex O’Loughlin as Marcus. It was suggested by someone who will remain un-named, that O’Loughlin is a tad…stiff as an actor. Since Marcus is a tad stiff as a character, I think it’s a good match. It has nothing whatsoever to do with how O’Loughlin looks without his shirt. We also like Skeet Ulrich, but he’s a bit older than I envision the character. (Sorry, Skeet.)

Judy Greer as Susan. She was the first person I thought of for the part and I think she’d be terrific.

Katee Sackoff as Maggie. Except for the hair, she’s physically close to Maggie and I think she could do the character justice.

We spent a lot of time trying to figure out Rebecca, Kathleen’s backyard neighbor, and in the end we decided on Fionnula Flanagan. She looks a lot like my image of the character. And I think she’d play well opposite my choice for Everett Henderson, Rebecca’s old friend. Everett is the only character I did picture as a specific person—Sean Connery.

The character of vet, Roma Davidson, was another difficult person to cast and in the end we settled on Annette Bening. She looks nothing like my mental picture of Roma—for one thing I always saw the character as shorter—but I think she’d play Roma’s kindness and toughness well.

I have no particular preference for a director, but I would have one requirement for the producers before I’d sign anything: I want Matt Lauer to do a small cameo. In the book Maggie has a thing for Matt Lauer, who is a celebrity participant on Gotta Dance, a show very similar to Dancing With the Stars. I really want at least one scene where Matt is dancing on TV in the background. And it has nothing to do with the fact that I have a little crush on Matt Lauer.

“Compared to a novel, a film is like an economy pizza where there are no olives, no ham, no anchovies, no mushrooms, and all you’ve got is the dough.”
--Louis de Bernières, author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin